ROH Best in the World results: Winners, grades and reaction from the 2018 ROH PPV

Ring of Honor held their annual Best in the World pay-per-view on June 29. It also aired on the Honor Club, featuring four title matches and the end of Jay Lethal’s mission to avenge all his past losses since dropping the ROH world title.

Ian Riccanboni and Colt Cabana are on commentary.

6-Man World Tag Team Championship: The Kingdom vs. LIJ

Best in the World opens with the Ring of Honor 6-Man Team Championship. The challengers came out first in Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, BUSHI, SANADA). The champions The Kingdom (Matt Taven, Vinny Marseglia., T.K. O’Ryan), with a creepy little girl with balloons heading down with them.

The fans were chanting for The Kingdom at the start but when they started mocking the Code of Honor in the match, fans started chanting “LIJ.” The match lasted about 11 minutes and included some nice double and triple team moves, although at times it seemed wrestlers were waiting for the next big spot.

The end came after BUSHI blew the mist in the face of Vinny. However, after this, Taven and T.K. hit the Rock Star Supernova to win.

Winners: The Kingdom by pinfall (***)

Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon

This match was set up when Bully Ray told Flip Gordon that he respected him out of the ring because of his military career. However, he then kicked Flip in the nuts and this is the grudge match. Gordon came the ring with the American flag draped over his shoulders and the normally fun Flip looks all business.

Bully Ray then attacks from out of nowhere without introduction. Flip just goes nuts on Bully Ray. There has been a lot of complaints about Bully Ray lately in Ring of Honor but Flip just dominated in this match and Bully Ray put him over huge.

As a matter of fact, Bully Ray ended up low blowing Flip Gordon for the DQ loss (after missing the Vader Bomb, which caused a huge “Vader” chant in memory of the late great WWE superstar). This was all Flip and Bully Ray sold like a champ.

After the match, Bully Ray got a chair and started just beating the hell out of Flip Gordon with it. Eli Isolm and Cheeseburger tried to save Flip Gordon, but Bully Ray had the chair to stop them. Colt Cabana was great here.

He asked where Jay Lethal or Dalton Castle was. He asked where The Briscoes, Adam Page or Punishment Martinez was. He asked why the younger guys tried to help but the big guys in Ring of Honor did nothing to help stop Bully Ray.

Finally, Colt Cabana ran into the ring with his own chair and Bully Ray finally took off. That final angle, thanks to Colt’s commentary before he ran down, was fantastic. The fans loved it, chanting for Colt Cabana as Bully Ray left.

This is a Women of Honor eight-person match. For fans who are just tuning into Ring of Honor, Tenille Dashwood is the former Emma from the WWE. Sumie Sakai is the current Women of Honor Champion. Kagetsu is the World of STARDOM champion. The two champions start the match.

The match went about 10 minutes and the Ring of Honor women beat the STARDOM women when Maya pinned Kimura after a dragon suplex.

Austin Aries vs. Kenny King

This match was set up when Impact Wrestling world champion Austin Aries showed up in Ring of Honor and tried to win the ROH TV title from Silas Young. Aries won but it was after Kenny King interfered. When the decision was reversed, Aries turned on his friend King and beat him down.

Aries came to the ring with the Impact Wrestling world title, the IPW: UK World Championship and the DEFY Wrestling Championship. Aries wrestled at the first ever Best in the World event in 2006. This is also the first ROH pay-per-view match for Aries.

Kenny King put on a great effort against Aries, but AA cheated to win, threatening to walk out and then hitting the brainbuster on the floor (King kicked out when AA got him back in the ring) and then a second brainbuster in the ring.

Winner: Austin Aries by pinfall (***1/2)

Jay Lethal vs. KUSHIDA

This match was set up when Jay Lethal lost his Ring of Honor world title and then hit a rough patch. His goal was to set out to beat everyone that had beaten him in Ring of Honor and he has done that except for KUSHIDA.

If Lethal wins this match, he will have avenged all his losses and will set his sights on the world title again. The two wrestlers are 1-1 against each other and this is the rubber match.

The match, as expected, was great. Both wrestlers were not only pulling out all the stops but also taunted each other the entire match while delivering. KUSHI even tried to finish off Lethal with Jay’s finishing move, the Lethal Injection.

KUSHI even reversed the flying elbow into a cross arm-breaker. This match had it all and was so good. Match of the Night easily.

ROH World TV Championship: Punishment Martinez vs. Adam Page

This match is a street fight and was set up before Punishment Martinez won the ROH World TV title at an Honor Club show in Dallas two weekends ago. Now, it is a title match.

Punishment came down from his casket with his demon followers, face painted red. Adam Page came down with new music and a new entrance video. Page attacked during the introductions.

The match was like nothing on the PPV so far – brutally violent. They used chairs and tables throughout the match and took the fight outside the ring quite a bit.

Punishment Martinez even zip-tied Adam Page’s hands together late in the match just to punish him more. That didn’t stop the match, as Page was able to break the zip ties and put Punishment through a table outside the ring.

Page took his eye off Punishment, which allowed Martinez to take the advantage again. Martinez then brought in a bag of thumbtacks and dumped them into the ring, only to have Page drop Punishment on the thumbtacks.

Punishment then choke slammed Page through a table for the win.

Winner: Punishment Martinez by pinfall (****)

ROH World Tag Team Championship: Briscoe Brothers vs. Young Bucks

The next match is for the Ring of Honor tag team titles with the high flying Young Bucks and the veteran brawlers, the Briscoe Brothers. The Bucks are considered one of the greatest tag teams in the world today while the Briscoes are considered the best ROH tag team of all-time.

Neither team disappointed either. Despite very different wrestling styles, these are two of the best pure tag teams in professional wrestling and know how to put on great tag team matches.

There was a superkick party and a brutal beatdown by the Briscoes. It all ended with the Briscoe Brothers hitting Red Neck Boogie on Matt Jackson and getting the win.

After the match, the So-Cal Uncensured hit the ring with chairs. The Young Bucks believed they were there to attack them but then the trio attacked the Briscoe Brothers.

It looks like The Addiction wants to be next in line for the tag team title shots since they have to be champions at the end of the year to keep their jobs in Ring of Honor.

ROH World Championship: Dalton Castle vs. Cody vs. Marty Scurll

This is a triple threat match. Dalton Castle is the champion but has been injured for a couple of months now. Cody is trying to win the ROH title back. Marty Scurll is part of Bullet Club with Cody but won a spot in this match and wants the title too.

Unlike a lot of these triple-threat title matches, the two friends (Cody and Scurll) were not teaming up much and the fight was between all three men. Castle looked pretty good, albeit slower due to his injury problems.

There was a lot of shenanigans, including NWA World Champion Nick Aldis showing up (Magnus from Impact Wrestling) and keeping Cody from losing. However, Cody for some reason attacked Aldis for it.

The two will fight at All In in Chicago and it looked like Aldis wanted it to be title vs. title. The referee threw out Aldis, Brandi Rhodes and both Castle’s “Boys” at that point.

Cody tried to use Marty’s powder throw but it was reversed on him. Scurll then almost won with a submission hold but Cody broke it up.

After that, Scurll used Cody’s own move, hitting the Cross Rhodes, but then saw himself turn into Dalton Castle’s Bangarang for the three count and Castle retained.